Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Sakti

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Translated from Bengali, part 4
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day
29 January 2018, evening, Sri Ekachakra Dham

The Lord has tried to save the souls bounded by maya in so many ways in this Kali-yuga. Nityananda Prabhu also showed that when He had saved Jagai and Madhai. He was the only child of Hadai Pandit and Padmavati Devi and He left them when He was twelve. Later, He was introduced to Jahnava Devi.

We have a ladies' ashram in Kalna, and near the temple there is Gauri Das Pandit's house. Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu stayed at that house, and that house is still there, along with the paddle that Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu used to get to them (They would go there by boat), it is still preserved and kept there nicely—even though wood generally perishes quickly, but this paddle has stayed in tact. If you go to this house of Gauri Das Pandit, you can also see there the Deities of Nityananda and Mahaprabhu.

When Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu came there, They stayed there for some time and when it was time for Them to leave, Gauri Das Pandit said, "Prabhu, You have come by Your wish, but I do not allow You to leave."

"How is it possible, Gauri Das? You know that We must go preaching door to door, how can We stay at your house?" replied Gaura-Nitai.

Gauri Das Pandit did not give in—he kept sitting in the middle of the veranda. Then, Mahaprabhu or Nityananda Prabhu said, "Look behind!" He turned round and saw that there was Gaura Nitai inside the house too—Gaura Nitai standing both inside and outside, talking to him at the veranda.

Gauri Das Pandit was puzzled, "Which is Deity and which is real Gaura Nitai? I cannot understand!"

"Which will you keep?"

"All right, the ones who are in the house are better."

In this way, Gaura Nitai who were inside his house stayed and the ones outside left. After this, Gauri Das Pandit started worship of the Deities of Gaura Nitai.

In Mahaprabhu's time, His Deity was installed in three places—one is in Nabadwip (Vishnupriya Devi's Deity of Mahaprabhu at Sanatan Mishra's house), another one is in Champahati (Gaura-Gadadhar Deity) and the third is in Kalna, at the house of Gauri Das Pandit (Sri Gaura Nitai).

One time, it was close to Gaura Purnima, Mahaprabhu's appearance day. Gauri Das Pandit went preaching to different places and kept his disciple Chaitanya Das to worship the Deities at the temple. Time passed and only three days were left before Gaura Purnima, so Chaitanya Das became uneasy because his guru was not coming back and it was necessary to invite people for the festival. What was he to do? Chaitanya Das personally invited everybody to the Kalna Temple for the festival. That very day Gauri Das Pandit came back to the temple.

Chaitanya Das said, "Prabhu, I have made an offence—without asking you for permission, I have invited everyone for the festival."

Hearing this, Gauri Das Pandit became angry, "You have invited everyone without asking me? Go away from the temple!"

Chaitanya Das did not say anything. It is necessary to learn humility, then we will be able to chant the Holy Name.

তৃণাধিক হীন দীন অকিঞ্চন ছার ।
আপনে মানবি সদা ছাড়ি অহঙ্কার ॥
বৃক্ষসম ক্ষমাগুণ করবি সাধন ।
প্রতিহিংসা ত্যজি অন্যে করবি পালন ॥
জীবন-নির্ব্বাহে আনে উদ্বেগ না দিবে ।
পর-ঈপকারে নিজ সুখ পাসরিবে ॥

trnadhika hina, dina, akinchana chhara
apane manabi sada chhadi' ahankara
vrksa-sama ksama-guna karabi sadhana
pratihimsa tyaji' anye karabi palana
jivana-nirvahe ane udvega na dibe
para-upakare nija-sukha pasaribe

"Give up your false ego, and always consider yourself lower than grass, poor, needy, and mean. Practise tolerance like a tree. Give up vengeance and nurture others. Do not trouble others for your own upkeep, forget your own happiness in the course of helping others."

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is writing very beautifully, you must remember it. When Nityananda Prabhu was beaten, what did He do? He cried. If someone swears you, if someone beats you, if someone says anything to you, we must always be humble. Never answer back. Always control your anger, then you will get the right to chant the Holy Name.

What did Chaitanya Das do then? He went away and made a small room on the bank of the Ganges. Those who had got his invitation came and asked Gauri Das Pandit, "Where is Chaitanya Das?" Gauri Das Pandit replied, "He is not here, he is sitting on the bank of the Ganges. Since he invited you, then go to him!"

Everybody went to the bank of the Ganges. Suddenly they saw a big barge in the middle of the Kalna River with rice, dal, etc. They decided to make the festival right there. On the Gaura Purnima day, when Gauri Das opened the temple, he saw that there was no Deity! Do you see? If you do not serve devotees, the Deity will not be satisfied. Many say, "Oh, there is a festival, just offer some bhog to the Deity, some yoghurt and ten sweets," but if you do not give prasadam to all the devotees, the Lord will not be happy.

In this way, Gauri Das Pandit's Deity had gone away. He thought, "My Gaura Nitai, where did They go leaving me here alone?!" He took a stick and marched to look for Them at the Ganges. You remember that Gaura Nitai are very tall, one and a half time taller than average height. When Gauri Das Pandit came to the Ganges, he saw Gaura Nitai dancing with raised arms surrounded by thousands of people. Gauri Das Pandit said, "I'll show you!" and was going to hit the Deities with the stick, but Gaura Nitai entered the heart of Chaitanya Das, after which his name became Hriday Chaitanya.

When Gauri Das returned to the house, he saw that the Deity was again there. Chaitanya Das returned too.

In that house, there was also Gauri Das's brother, Surya Das.

One day, Mahaprabhu told him, "Gauri Das, Nitai always eats at this house, that house. I wanted to say something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"You have a girl at your house, Jahnava. Marry her to Him."

"That girl is not mine, she is my niece. I will ask Surya Das."

When Surya Das heard about it, he said, "He eats at different houses, He does not have rice, and we must give our daughter to Him?"

Then, one day, Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu were walking and sat under a tamarind tree (that tree is present to this day). Now, in old time, girls were very shy—it is very rare (maybe one out of a thousand) to find now a girl who thinks, "My parents can see to it, I do not need to see my future husband." So, before the boy and the girl would not even see each other before their marriage—as their parents decided, so they did. So, when Nimai and Nitai were sitting under that tree, suddenly Jahnava went that way and their eyes met—she then hid in the jungle and fainted in divine love to Nityananda Prabhu, foam coming from her mouth. After some time, everyone started looking for her but nobody could find her anywhere. The guards eventually found her in the forest. They took her in their arms and brought her home, laying her on her bed. They thought maybe a snake had bitten her, but they did not find any trace of poison, however she was like dead.

Then, Gauri Das Pandit went looking for Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu, "Where did Nitai go? Where did Nimai go?" He found them sitting under that tamarind tree and asked Them, "Prabhu, please come! Please come to my brother's house!"

"What has happened?"

"Jahnava has fallen ill."

Nityananda Prabhu said, "What will we do there? Are we doctors?"

Gauri Das Pandit insisted and in the end managed to bring Nityananda Prabhu and Mahaprabhu with him to his house. Then, he said to Surya Das, "There was some misunderstanding earlier. Give your daughter to Him now."

Nityananda Prabhu said, "What will I do with a dead girl?! She is dead—she cannot cook, cannot serve the Lord. I can accept her, but only on one condition—I want dowry."

"Prabhu, I am a poor brahman, where will I get dowry?" (He thought Nityananda Prabhu meant money.)

"No, no I do not want all that."

"Then what is your condition?"

"You must give Me your second daughter (Vasudha) as the dowry!"

They were amazed, "What is this? First He does not want any of them and now He is taking both!" but anyhow, they got afraid and agreed to give both girls to Nityananda Prabhu. Then, Nityananda Prabhu chanted Gauranga Mahaprabhu's Name and put His hand on Jahnava's head—the foam stopped coming out of her mouth and she opened her eyes and saw Nitai. Life came back to her when she saw Lord Nityananda Prabhu... After that, two garlands were brought and both Jahnava and Vasudha put a garland on Nityananda Prabhu's neck.

In this way they were married (in those days they did not have money to arrange big ceremonies, so marriages were simple). This is how Nityananda Prabhu's sakti came to Him. Jahnava and Vasudha served Nityananda Prabhu, and when Nityananda Prabhu left, Jahnava went to Vrindavan and practised bhajan at Radha-kunda.

These are the saktis of Nityananda Prabhu, just as Sita Devi is the sakti of Advaita Prabhu. In this way, Nityananda Prabhu performed so many pastimes...

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